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Statement by Joel Klein on recently released NCES study

on Jul 27, 2009 by The EEP Team

Education Equality Project (EEP) Co-Founder and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, today released the following statement on new findings that educational inequality
persists among students of different races and ethnicities:

The recently released National Center for Education Statistics study quantified what has been clear anecdotally for years - schools in America are not providing an equal education
for all students - particularly students of color. The inequity suffered by African-American and Latino students is inexcusable in a nation that ended school segregation 55 years ago.

Eliminating the education achievement gap is the foremost civil rights issue of our time, and the Education Equality Project is dedicated to this mission. When our education system
cannot offer a high quality school to children living in low-income, African-American, and Latino neighborhoods, it is an injustice that must be corrected.

Gains by some students of color in a handful of states show that the gap can be closed, but this tiny patchwork of success also underscores how far we still need to go. Equality should
not be bound by geography.

The placement of good teachers contributes to inequitable outcomes for students. Schools where African-American and Latino students are the majority receive less qualified
teachers. Every student deserves to be encouraged to succeed by a great teacher. Where high expectations and standards along with focused and encouraging instruction
characterize schools, progress has been made by both students of color and white students.

The NCES findings are not a surprise. What is surprising is that one-week after their release, little is being done by many educators, parents, students, and elected officials in
response.

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VIEW THE PRESS RELEASE

Categories: Signatories

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